Conventional electrical connectors comprise a cap housing for retaining one or more tab electrical contacts and a plug housing for retaining one or more receptacle electrical contacts. Such cap housing is mated with the plug housing to make electrical connections by inserting tab sections of the tab electrical contacts into receptacle sections of the receptacle electrical contacts.
The tab electrical contacts and receptacle electrical contacts of the electrical connectors are normally made by stamping and forming an electrically-conductive metal sheet. Each tab electrical contact has a tab section and a wire-crimping connection section. The tab electrical contacts are inserted into the housing cavities and retained therein with the tab sections extending from a front surface of the housing cavities. On the other hand, each receptacle electrical contact comprises a so-called box-type receptacle section to receive and engage with the tab section of the tab contact and a wire-crimping section. These two sections are completely inserted and retained in the plug housing.
Now, the electrical wire-crimping connection of the tab electrical contacts is made by using a crimping tool known as an application tool. Such tab section tends to be bent up to form a so-called "bent-up" portion from the central part of the crimping connection during the above-mentioned wire-crimping operation.
However, existing cap housings to retain the inserted tab electrical contacts are not provided with means to correct the aforementioned "bent-up" condition, therefore the tab electrical contacts are inserted and retained in the cap housing without correcting the "bent-up" condition.
When such "bent-up" tab sections are to be inserted in the receptacle sections of the receptacle contacts for making electrical connection therebetween by mating the cap housing, which retains such tab electrical contacts, with the plug housing, which retains such receptacle electrical contacts, there are instances where front ends of the tab sections of the tab contacts are not properly aligned with the receptacle sections of the receptacle contacts, thereby striking against front edges of the receptacle sections and making improper electrical connection by some of the tab sections overriding the front ends of the receptacle sections.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector to solve the aforementioned problem by providing means to restrain the base portions of the tab sections in the radial direction of the cavities at the front ends thereof while the tab contacts are retained in the housing, thereby correcting the "bent-up" portions of the tab contacts.